New York Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in White Plains, New York

Need help starting a business in White Plains, New York? We've got the information you need to open a business in White Plains.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in White Plains. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Cheese Shops Business guide or our Starting a Private Golf Courses Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in White Plains. If White Plains already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Don't forget to review White Plains demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

White Plains, New York Demographic Information

White Plains has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for White Plains demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in White Plains.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
25304
5-9 Employees
7388
10-19 Employees
4812
20-49 Employees
3624
50-99 Employees
1272
100-249 Employees
744
250-499 Employees
276
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
36
All White Plains Businesses
43492

As a new White Plains entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in White Plains for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Advertising Agencies
9
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
14
Art Dealers
4
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
43
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
9
Book Publishers
3
Book Stores
7
Bowling Centers
2
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
16
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
12
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
9
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
3
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
3
Computer Systems Design Services
31
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
8
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
5
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
5
Custom Computer Programming Services
38
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
10
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
7
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
8
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Educational Support Services
10
Electrical Contractors
23
Electronic Shopping
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
10
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
15
Engineering Services
21
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
7
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
24
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Floor Covering Stores
6
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
16
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
3
Full-Service Restaurants
82
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Stores
7
General Automotive Repair
22
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
16
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
6
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
6
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Health Care Services
27
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
3
Industrial Building Construction
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
58
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
4
Investigation Services
9
Investment Advice
18
Janitorial Services
20
Jewelry Stores
25
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
42
Language Schools
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
68
Limousine Service
6
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
3
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
13
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Media Buying Agencies
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
14
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
7
Mobile Food Services
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
5
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
20
New Housing Operative Builders
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
15
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
24
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
48
Offices of Chiropractors
14
Offices of Dentists
82
Offices of Lawyers
343
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
9
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Optical Goods Stores
17
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
14
Parking Lots and Garages
15
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
17
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Portfolio Management
20
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
5
Public Relations Agencies
5
Quick Printing
4
Real Estate Credit
13
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Remediation Services
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
18
Residential Remodelers
26
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
13
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
7
Shoe Stores
37
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
18
Software Publishers
5
Sound Recording Studios
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
13
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Tax Preparation Services
8
Taxi Service
4
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
33
Temporary Shelters
4
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
21
Tour Operators
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
14
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
5
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
9
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
22
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
24
Women's Clothing Stores
42

Company Formation in White Plains, New York

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in White Plains, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your White Plains business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Bank Credit Lines.

For White Plains entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in White Plains, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which White Plains entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in White Plains. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in White Plains and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new White Plains entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in White Plains, New York

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in White Plains.

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